Shift lever



Aug. 9, 1927. 1,638,182

v A. vs. BUTELL SHIFT LEVER Original Filed Deo. 3l, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheetl f co Y l' CHT 31 29 A. ueu "u Aug. 9, 1927. 1,638,182

. A. S. BUTELL SHIFT LEVER Original Filed Deo. 51, 1925 2 Sheets-sheet 2Patented Aug. 9, 1927.

UNITED STATES ADoLriiUs SHADE BUTELL, or iin-Renee, coLonAno..

SHIFT LEVER.

i Original application led December 31, 1925, Serial No. 78,661. Dividedand this application filed June 29, 1926. Serial No. 119.494'.

rElie invention seeks, among other objects,

to provide a shift lever which will not only be peculiarly applicablefor use in connection with n iy improved transmissionbiit will also bewell adapted for general usev and wherein means willl be provided forlocking the lever whenl set to shifta'selectedv gear and accordinglylocking sai/d gear in active position. .f

Other objects of the invention not specifically',v mentioned in theforegoing will appear during the course of the following description.

Inthe accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a fragmentaryvertical sectionalview showing the present invention.

, in connection with.` the transmission case and associated parts of thetransmission disclosed in my prior application previouslyl identified..y y

Figure 2 is a verticalV sectional view particularly showing the mountingofl the ball of the lever.

^ Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sec- 'i tional view through thelever at a right" angle to Figure V1.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the ball-re-v taining cap. y Figure 5 is adetail perspective view particularly showing the shifter bars andsupporting block. f

Figure 6 is a retaining plate for the shifter bars.

Figure 7 is a plan view of one of thet'en' sioning springs of the-lever.

Referring now more particularly. to' the.l

drawings, I haveV shown a'transmi'ssion casing at 10. This casing isprovided with a partition 11 delining a chamber 12 at the'v sleeve 15,and splined on-said' sleeve is a -p second surroundingsleeve 16. Inaccord'- ance withthe invention shown in the parent case, these sleevescarry suitable spidersv whichj in turn, mount peculiar clutch mein-fbers.` the sleves are shiftable en'clwisjey detail perspecive view ofthe-nected inoni'ited" the ball for. shifting the spiders and moving the 5clutch members to active and inactive position. Closing the chamber 12of the casing is a cover plate Extending horizontally within vthe cham-lber 1-2 is a cross bar 17 in which are formed if spaced' slots 18. Thecross bar is integral `with.thefront wall of the casing and-with the4partition 11 and resting `upon said bar between the slots 18 is a 'guide.block 19.

As seen'ifn Figures 2 and 5 ofthe drawings,

the, block is slotted at its" upper 'side to slidably' receive a pair ofopposi'tely directed,

shifter bars 2O and 21,'and projecting between said bars is a separator22 integral r"with dieblock.` The separator is provided with av notch 23ywhile the bars 20f`and 21 are'provid'edwithv notches 24J and 25 whichnormally registerwith the notch 23. Fittingjover the barsis a" cap plate26 mating with the block 19. `j As see/n in Figures 2 and 6, the'capplateis recessed to slidab-ly accommodate ythe bars; and formed in saidplate is a medial oblong opening27. The

block and plateare provided with registeringy ears and extending throughsaid ears are cap ybolts 28fwhicli'are screwed into the cross bar 17 forrigidlyy coni'iectinglsaidV block and plate with the bar. Thus,v theshifterbars 20aiidk 21 are slidably confined between the Yplate'26' andtlie`bl'ock-19, and formed in said blocin beneath 'thefb'ars` asf shownin Figure2, are recesses 29freely accommodating balli detents30.Disposed beneath said detents are Springs 31 pressing the detentsiupwardly,` and formed in the shifter bars Aare sockets 32j toyaccommodate said Adetents so that the detents will thus functiony tonormallyl lock the shifter bars in neutral position. Freelyaccommodated? by. the

slots 18'off the cross bar 17 are shifter forks i- '33 and 34pivjotedupl'inpinsv 35 which` extend through the cross'baiat the'slots.Attheir ,upper ends, these forks are pivotally con-V with the ends ofthe shifter bars 2O Aends' ofthe sleeves land 16. p Y

Formed on the cojver plate12above the '26 is a ballfsocket 38 in whichis l y I 19 of the central lever, sind han beiiigljproyiaea with a @itseein@ cap plate lat mul

opening 40r therethrough, and extending through said opening is a pivotpin 41 freely fitting the opening at its smallest diameter. Thus, theball may be rocked laterally in opposite directions upon the pin and mayalso be rocked forwardly and rearwardly.

The cover plate is provided with recesses to accommodate the ends of thepin, and fitting over the ball is a cap plate 42 which, as seen inFigures 2 and 4, is provided with aligned housings 43 enclosing the endsof the pin. The cap plate is bolted or otherwise secured to the coverplate so that the pivot pin is thus confined between said plates while,at the same time, the ball may be freely rocked on said pin. lFormed on.the ball its lower side is ra short arm 44 which projects through theopening 27 of the eap plate 26 for eoaetion with the shifter bars 20-and21, and upstanding from the ball at its upper side is an alined stud 45.Screwed over said stud is the stem 46 of the control lever. This stem isprovided at its'upper end with a spherical knob comprising a` section 47integral with the stem, and a vsomewhat smaller section 48 movablerelative to theformer section. Slidable through the stem is a latch rod49 upon the upper 'end of which the section 48 of the knob is screwed,and formed on said rod at itsflower end is a yoke 50 which is provided,as shown in Figure 8, with a tooth 51. Interposed between the sections47 and 48 of the knob of thevlever is a spring 52 which is accommodatedin a suitable recess in the former section and acts against the lattersection for pressing the latch rod upwardly.

Formed in the cap plate 42 at the front and rear of the ball 39 aretransversely elongated openings 58, and freely-accommodated. at its endsby said openings telextend at a right angle to the pin 41 is a segment54 which is freely received through the stein 46 of the'control leverand through the yoke 50 of the latch rod 49. Confined between the coverplate 16 and the cap plate 42, as seen in Figure 1, are pivot pins 55which lie in a plane with the pin 41 and swingingly mount the segmentatgits ends. Thus, when the control lever is rocked laterally, thesegment will swing therewith and said segmentis, as shown in Figure 8,pro vided at its lower edge with teeth for engagement by the tooth 51 ofthe yoke of the latch rod so that, as will be perceived, the rod willnormally coact with the segment for locking the lever against forwardand rearward movement. Freely received in suitable recesses in thehousings 43 of the cap plate 42, as shown in Figure 2, are tensioningsprings 56, one of which is shown in detail in Figure 7. The stems ofthese springs are riveted or otherwise secured to the said housings, andformed on saidstems are segmental .friction members 57 fitting the ball89 at opposite sides thereof to yieldably bear against he ball. Thus,the springs will normally hold the control lever in vertical neutralposition.

As will now be seen, by rocking the stem 46 of the control leverlaterally in one direction, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, thearm 44 of the ball39 of said lever may be moved into the recess 24 ofthe shifter bar 20, when, by pressing downwardly on the knob section 48of the lever to disengage the latch rod 49 from the segment 54, thelever may be swung forwardly. Forward movement of the lever will, aswill be appreciated, impart rearward movement to the shifter bar 20,with the result that the fork 38 will be rocked to draw the sleeve 15forwardly and consequently shift the clutch l member which is associatedwith said sleeve,

clutch member associatedVv with said sleeve to a rearward activeposition, when, by' releasingthe latch rod 49, the clutch member may belocked in such position. ffiirnilarly,` by rocking the control leverlaterally .in the opposite direction to dispose the arm 44 of the ball39 in the recess 25 of thepshifter bar 21, the control lever may then beswung forwardly for rocking the fork 84 and shifting the sleeve 16forwardly to dispose the clutch member associated with said sleeve inforward active position.V The latch rod y49 may then be released forlocking the lever. On the contrary, by. rocking the eontrol leverrearwardly, the sleeve 16 may be shifted rearwardly to dispose theVclutch member associatedwith said sleeve inrearward active positionwhen, upon release of the latch vrod 49, said clutch member will belocked in such position. Thus, as will be seen, the contiol leverA maybe manipulated for selecting different speeds. Y

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In transmission mechanism, pivoted elements, a fixed vguide block,shifter bar's pivotally connected with said elements and movable on saidblock for swinging said elements, said bars being provided withrecesses, a pivotedcontrol'lever having an arm, means mounting the leverfor universal movement,vthe lever being adapted to be rocked laterallyto engagethe arm in the recess of either shifter bar and being movableforwardly or rearwardly for shifting either bar, a `pivoted segmentextending through the lever for movement laterally therewith, and aspring pressed latch rod carried by the lever to coact with said segmentfor locking the lever in set position when swung forwardly orrearwardly.

2. ln transmission mechanismi, a guide block, a cap plate matingtherewith, shifter bars Islidably confined between said plate and theblock, detents housed by the block to eoact with said bars for lockingthe bars in neutral position, a control lever, means mount-ing the leverfor universal movenienty the lever being adapted to be rocked laterallyto engage either bar and being movable forwardly or rearwardly forshifting either bar, and means for locking the lever in set positionwhen swung forwardly orv rearwardly. v

3. In transmission mechanism, a control lever, means mounting the leverfor movement in different planes and including a ball supporting thelever for lateral movement as well as forward or rearward movement, aspring coaeting with the ball for frictionally locking thel lever whenswung laterally, a pivoted segment extending through vthe lever andmovable laterally therewith, and a latch carried by the lever to coactwith said segment for locking the lever in set position when swungforwardly or rearwardly.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ADOLPHUS SHADE BUTELL.` [L.s.]-

aoY

